Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/282

, the skin being pulled over the leg as if turned inside out. Having done both legs, you can now pull them right by catching hold of the claw or foot and drawing it down into position. The legs are perfectly free now, hanging loosely. Now take the knife again and skin away from the tail and back which is comparatively easy. Just at the tail you may have a little difficulty, but care and patience is all that is necessary. When the tail is freed from the body, take hold of the latter in the right hand, and, as it were, pull (very gently) it through or from the skin, pushing with the fingers to make the skin recede towards the head and wings. Work with the fingers,and occasionally the knife, towards the wings, till you reach the place where they have been disjointed, and then cut that with the scissors, as you did the legs; and when this is done, the only part holding the bird and skin together will be the neck and head. This is the most difficult of all, and it is best to work without the knife, just using the fingers and holding the body until you have the neck turned inside out, and are stopped by the skin being held on either side of the face by the inner skin of the bird's ears. Take the knife and slip the point under these attachments, gradually lifting them out, but cutting in towards the head not outwards to the skin. Then you will come to the eyes. Carefully cut on top of them, pushing with the fingers until they are skinned, and the skin drawn past them to the beak or mandibles. Now sever the skull right at the base, and enlarge the opening so as to get the brain out, while doing this, hold the bird by the beak under the skin of the neck, and be sure you do not get any of the feathers soiled. There is another way of doing this, which is to divide the head in the centre of the skull, leaving only the front half, and stuffing the other with cotton wool; but it is best to leave as much as possible for mounting purposes. Of course, care must be taken to preserve it well.

To take out the eyes, insert the knife at the back, place the thumb on the eyeball, and gently pull it out, care being taken not to burst or cut into the eyeball. Now look well to see if any scraps of flesh are left—there will be some about the eyes and at the junction of the mandibles, take time to get all this away, and be sure you do not cut away the skin just at this point, or your bird will be useless. Now you have your bird skinned. I have found that all specimens done in the hot weather become more or less unpleasant after a few days, in spite of preservative powder; so to obviate this I always wash out the head. It can be done with great safety, and is almost a necessity in a hot climate, or if you stuff in the summer. I utilize a spray inhaler for the purpose, using carbolic acid with it, but any small syringe or even a squill will do. Make a solution of carbolic and water, and squirt it into